The Joining
by everg8er23
Summary: A malfunction in the Stargate sends SG-1 to an unknown world. Contains a bit of everything. Chapter 5 finally up!
1. Wake Up Major!

Title: The Joining

Disclaimer: Not mine, just borrowing.

Rating: PG (some bad language, no worse than on show)

Season: 3

Pairing: Some Sam/Jack, probably not more than a particularly shippy episode.

* * *

"Good morning, Major." Jack jogged up to her briskly.

"Good morning sir... morning?" A note of alarm sounded in Carter's voice even as she yawned over her doohickeys.

"Yes Carter, ya know that thing that comes after night."

She grinned, "Yes sir. I just didn't realize it was so late, early." She shook her head to clear the drowsiness.

"You pulled an all-nighter before a mission?"

"I didn't mean to sir."

"I know Carter." He picked up one of the doohickeys on her desk. "They're just so damn fascinating." He put his finger in the hole of the device and promptly got it stuck.

"They really are sir. Interestingly enough they all seem to emit a low level of radiation-"

"Da ah ah!" Jack waved his hands around in the air, telling her not to lecture so early. The doohickey was still stuck to his finger.

"Sorry sir." She smiled at Jack as he tugged wildly at the devise, trying to extricate his digit. Sam reached over, grabbed his hand to stop him fidgeting and pulled the doohickey gently off.

"Thanks."

"I thought you had learned not to stick your fingers where they don't belong," she teased him. All the while glad the Colonel didn't know she had made the same mistake last night.

"Oh, but you know me Carter, sometimes I just can't help myself." He watched her sink back in her chair, she looked exhausted. "Why don't you take a nap?"

"Can't sir. I've got to-"

"Can't or won't?" he interrupted her.

"I should really figure out what these are."

"Now, now Carter, we can't have anyone fall asleep during the orientation set up by Nagwold on the implications of super stellar something or other. It sounds fascinating."

"Nakwald sir. You know the Brigands are an easily offended people."

"Yeah, yeah, Nacwolg. I'll remember that.

Sam just shook her head and leaned farther back in her chair.

"Major, get some sleep." As an after thought, "That's an order."

"Yes sir," came the muffled response, her head had already hit the desk."

"Somewhere else, don't want to drool on anything."

"Yes sir."

BREAK

"Hey Danny, where's Carter?"

"I don't know Jack, I thought she was coming with you." Daniel was standing at the bottom of the ramp leading up to the Stargate. There were just a few minutes to go until SG-1 was scheduled to embark to P5X 722, the Brigand home world.

Both men turned toward Teal'c, he answered the unasked question, "I have not seen MajorCarter today."

"It's not like Sam to be late for a mission." Concern ebbed in Daniel's voice.

"Dammit, I ordered her to take a nap, she probably overslept."

Daniel made a face.

Jack scowled at him, "I know what you're thinking, that's not like her, but she's good at followin' orders. I'll go get her. You guys stall."

As Jack walked out of the gateroom Daniel stood shell-shocked, and Teal'c just raised an eyebrow.

Jack swung by Carter's quarters first, she wasn't there. He then tried her office, he found her asleep at the desk. Okay, not so good at following orders.

He knocked on the partially open door, no answer. Jack walked in and stood in front of her, hand resting on the P-90 that was still slung across his shoulder. "Carter." No answer. He bent down low next to her ear and shouted, "Carter!"

Sam awoke with a snort.

Jack didn't even try to suppress his obvious amusement. "Rise and shine."

"Oh god sir, I must have dozed off, what time is it?"

"Time to go." He noticed that her left cheek was slightly red and had an indentation from the file folders on her desk. "We gotta go, now."

Sam hopped up from her chair and much to her chagrin saw that a small pool of wet was on her desk. "I'll get geared up."

Jack smiled as she bustled about, her hair was sticking up at odd angels and her clothes were rumpled, he thought she was quite cute.

"What?" she asked him when she noticed his expression.

"Just admiring your morning look."

That made Sam very nearly, but not quite blush.

Jack went to the armory and supply for her as she changed in the locker room, he made it back there just as she had stepped out.

She looked slightly embarrassed, "I don't think General Hammond will be very happy about this."

"Don't worry, Daniel and Teal'c are stalling."

Oh, that was reassuring.

"Colonel O'Neill! Where the hell have you been?" General Hammond demanded from the control room.

"Sorry sir, just brushing up on Brigand customs, can never be too prepared ya know."

Hammond let him slid on such an obvious lie, perhaps because he preferred not to wait any longer or because the Major was with him which meant one had been covering for the other and he didn't want to get into that at the moment. His patience was eroding as the seconds ticked by, if the Brigands didn't have such valuable trading resources, Hammond would have had them bury their gate just so no other race would ever have to deal with their arrogant naiveté ever again.

The Stargate was already engaged when the Colonel and Major had entered so SG-1 wasted no time in leaving before Hammond had a fit.

As Jack passed Daniel on the ramp he muttered to him, "I thought you were going to stall?"

Daniel stopped in his tracks, "What'd you want me say, the all powerful Oz had taken you?" but by the time he had finished his sentence Jack had already slipped through the event horizon.

A few seconds and a few million stars later Teal'c re-materialized on the other side. "I believe 722 has changed since we last visited it."


	2. Where in the name of 722 are we?

"I believe 722 has changed since we last visited it." Teal'c remarked as he re-materialized outside the 'gate.

"I think we're blind." Sam said, slightly off beat.

Daniel was holding a hand in front of his face. "We're not blind; it's just very dark here."

They all heard Daniel rustle in his pack for a flashlight, and the next second there was a stream of light in Jack's eyes.

"Hey, watch where you're pointing that thing!"

"Sorry, Jack."

"It's okay, if any aliens show up, by all means, Daniel shine a light in their eyes."

Daniel shone the light back at the gate then traveled left until it hit the DHD. "Sam, where are we."

"Well, it's not 722."

"Peachy, then we're going. Daniel dial us home."

"Jack, I think we should-"

"You heard me, the Brigands are waiting."

"Jack, we should stay, there might to something important here."

"Sir, Daniel's right, if we leave now we probably won't be able to get back again, as we don't know how we got here in the first place."

"Forget it, both of you, we'll come back later, if we can. But now we have to visit the Brigands and carry out our mission.

Daniel sensed it was pointless to argue further and went over to the DHD. "Why don't I just dial 722?"

"Because we need to tell the General not to send out anymore SG teams, who knows where they'll end up."

Daniel scratched his head, shy didn't he think of that? Oh, well. He located to point of origin for this planet and called home. When he reached the seventh chevron the Stargate would not engage.

"Danny? What's going on?"

"I don't know Jack, it won't lock."

"Well try it again." Daniel entered the symbols for Earth once more, the same problem arose.

"Perhaps the accident that sent us here damaged the Earth gate as well." Teal'c offered and raised an eyebrow which no one saw.

"Ok, try 722." Jack watched as Daniel's hand pushed the symbols for their destined planet. But to no avail, the wormhole would not engage.

The Colonel turned to Carter for an explanation, "Carter, can you think of any reason why this might have happened? Maybe someone miss-dialed?"

"I don't think so sir. But I see no other reason why our Stargate would send us to a different planet."

"No solar flares or anything?" Jack asked hopefully. "Not likely, the last time that happened we were sent back to 1969, which implies it only applies to time travel."

Daniel piped up at this, "Maybe we did time travel, to the past or future and we are on Earth, Of course then we would have the same point of origin."

Jack hit a button to illuminate his watch, "I still have the same time. So then, any suggestions as to what we... does anyone else smell that?" Jack sniffed the air it smelled like-

"Rain, sir." "Okay, we pitch camp here until it passes."

"Don't you think we should find more shelter Jack?"

"Where, we gonna look Daniel? We can't even see the noses on our faces."  
  
Pitching camp was no mean feat, especially when you were trying to in the dead of darkness and one hand was incapacitated with the flashlight.

"That was my foot Teal'c."

"I am sorry Daniel Jackson, did I injure you?"

"No no, I'm fine."

"Has anyone seen my bag?"

"Where was it last Carter?"

"Right here."

"That's a big help."

"Sorry sir, but I can hardly see what I'm doing."

"It's around carter, packs don't just wander off."

"Yes sir."

BREAK  
  
"We'll look for it later Sam." Daniel told her after she had asked him if he had seen her bag for the fifth time. "It's around."

They had just finished putting up the two tents as the first drops started falling. "Ok people lets get inside. Daniel, where are you going?" Jack asked him, when he noticed he was heading away from the camp.

"Going to use the facilities."

"What did I tell you about going before we left on a mission?" Daniel ignored the comment and was about to head off again when Jack said, "Fine, take Teal'c with you."

"Jack I haven't needed help in the bathroom since I was two."

"There weren't hostile creatures near your training seat either."

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?" Jack asked innocently.

"Mother henning"

"I do not mother hen."

Sam played protest to that, "Yes you do sir."

"Do not."

"Do too," Daniel told him.

"Do not."

"Do too!"

Jack turned to Teal'c, "What'd you think?"

"I believe you have a tendency to be protective O'Neill."

"There you go Daniel, I don't mother hen, I just have a tendency to be protective."

"Oh please Jack, it's the same thing, and if you don't mind I'm going to go now before I have an accident, and don't worry I'm a big boy now."

Jack snapped his mouth shut and turned back to the rest of his team. "Teal'c you take first watch. You're with me Carter. We should get inside before we get any wetter, if that's possible."

He looked down at himself, though it had only been raining for a couple minutes he was already soaked. Sam didn't need any more prompting she slid in the tent and Jack followed close behind. After Jack had zipped up the opening he looked Sam over, she was as soaked as he was, "Maybe you should change."

"That would be difficult sir."

"I promise I won't look Carter."

"That's not it sir, never found my pack."

"Oh," Jack wasn't worried that it had been taken, just misplaced, he hoped.

"We'll find it in the morning, until then you have to get changed before you get sick." He tossed her his pack, "Wear mine."

Sam raised her eyebrows.

"Don't worry Carter, I don't have cooties." This caused Sam to laugh, but she still took his pack and pulled out another shirt and pants.

Jack studied her with interest.

"Sir?"

"Huh? Oh," Jack turned around while Sam quickly changed.

The clothes were slight large for her, but Sam didn't mind, at least they were clean and dry and cootie free. "Ok Carter, now you can go to bed."

"It's the middle of the day."

"Not on this planet."

"What about you sir?"

"I'll wait until Daniel gets back." Just then there was a soft sloshing noise outside of the tent. Jack got up and went out to greet him.

Daniel grinned when he saw Jack come out, "See, I'm still in one piece and I even found Sam's pack."

"Good job. Teal'c has first watch then me, then you, good night."

"Good night Jack," Daniel said as he headed towards the big Jaffa.


	3. Darkness Falls

A/N: Thanks a billion for all the wonderful reviews, you people make me blush. Special thanks to Rivergem, that's exactly what I was going for.

"Oh, Dr. Jackson," Jack called in an almost sing-song voice.  He was stooped half-in half-out of the tent Daniel and Teal'c were sharing, and was shining his flashlight straight at the lump that was Daniel's head.  "It's your shift."

"Jack?" Daniel squinted at his CO's form in the doorway, the beam from the flashlight was in his eyes and blinding him.

"Who else?" Jack answered vainly as he examined the dirt under his fingernails.

"Do you think you could point that thing somewhere else?" Daniel asked as he reached for his glasses and put them on.

"Sorry," Jack said, although he didn't seem that sorry about it, and he pointed the light down towards the region of the archeologist's feet.

"Any sign of hostile aliens or man-eating plants I need to know about?" Daniel asked as he slid out of his sleeping gear and took the light from Jack.  As he stepped out of the tent he noticed it wasn't raining anymore, well at least he didn't get the wet shift.

"I don't know about man-eating, but T found some mold you might want to keep your eye on."

"Ah, why?"

"It bears a close resemblance to a certain Air Force General I know."

Daniel furrowed his brow.

"Have fun, Danny," was all Jack said before retiring to his own tent to lap up some more REM's before morning.

Daniel turned his attention to the horizon, or where he supposed the horizon would be if he could see it. Though it had been nearly seven hours since they had arrived on the planet, the sun or possibly suns had not made an appearance yet. No moon or stars had shown up either, during the storm he had guessed that the cloud cover was blocking them, but the sky remained as dark as pitch and it gave Daniel a down-right creepy feeling. He knew something was off here. 

Making a quick perimeter sweep Daniel didn't see any signs of life, at least none that were particularly threatening. That is until he stumbled upon the mold Jack had mentioned.

Bending down he could see that it did have a likeness to General Hammond.  The moldy General had his finger in the air and if Daniel had been in the military he might have been afraid he was going to get court-marshaled.

Walking at least five yards away from the abnormal plant, Daniel found a semi-dry spot of grass and sat down.  He passed the time by reciting an Egyptian poem to himself that he had learned while studying in Giza. Every now and again he performed a simple perimeter scan but saw nothing more than a few bugs.

An hour and a half had passed before Daniel had the feeling there were more than insects on this planet.  Some sort of noise was coming from the distance. It sounded a bit like hurried, excited whispers.

Daniel stood quickly, his weight on his back foot, and waited for a half minute before alerting the others. He wanted to make sure of what he was hearing. He knew it wasn't uncommon for people who were blind to have their other senses become more acute and he wasn't sure the whispers weren't just the wind or some other stupid totally unthreatening thing like that.

But no, the sound was there, Daniel rushed closer to the tents and shouted for the others to wake up.  In no time flat they were all up and at'em as if they had been just waiting for a danger call.

"What's up, Danny?" Jack looked as if he was ready to run a ten kilometer race, he showed no sign that he had been asleep not thirty seconds before.

"Listen closely."

Daniel and the others stood in a close circle, no one made a sound until Sam spoke, "It sounds like hushed voices."

"That's what I thought."

"Where's it coming from?" Jack asked anyone who could answer.

"Eleven o'clock sir-" Carter hesitated, cocking her head to listen she said again, "and five."

Hearing this, Jack swung around to protect his team's six. Following his lead the team moved into a tight circle with their backs to each other.  The voices were getting louder, closing in, and they weren't just coming from two directions anymore, it was everywhere, surrounding the makeshift camp and its occupants making them feel as if they were about to drown in a sea of the unknown voices.

"I believe we are being surrounded O'Neill."

"Thanks Teal'c." Jack said bitterly, he knew the Jaffa only was trying to give him as much information as he could, but he was annoyed with himself for putting his team in such a vulnerable position.

The four team members stood waiting in the dark, the poor luminescence emanating from the flashlights did little to illuminate the bleak landscape.  They were not able to find any source for the sounds. Nothing happened, they waited, and still nothing happened.

Daniel decided to make the first move. He shouted out to the beyond willing the unknown to hear him, "Hello. I'm Daniel Jackson.  We are peaceful explorers from a planet called Earth and mean you no harm."

Finally voice spoke aloud, "If you mean us no harm then stop your suns."

Daniel stared around him, the voice or should he say voices, we not like anything he'd heard before. Every few words the tone would change abruptly and the voice would come from a different direction. To him it sounded like there were many beings that kept finishing the others sentences. His brain whirred, perhaps these aliens were telepathic or ventriloquists. He didn't have any idea how many there were, there could be one or a hundred.

Spinning around, pointing his gun out into the beyond, Jack couldn't see any movement or anything else that would suggest there was something out there.  "What'd they mean, 'stop our suns'?"

"Perhaps they were indicating our lights O'Neill."

Sam shouted into the blackness, "You want us to turn off our flashlights?"

The voices rose, "Yes, your suns, they hurt us."

"Too bad, they're staying on, we can't see without light."

"Jack," Daniel warned, "you should do it, we are on their territory."

"Daniel, we don't know if we can trust these things."

"They could be the only ones who could help us, if they don't we may not be able to get home."

"Maybe, but I'd rather find our own way out, than be sent home in a box."

"The Colonel's right, we don't know what these people might do if we turn off the flashlights. We could just be inviting them to shoot us down where we stand while we're waiting around here in the dark."

"I agree with Major Carter, we should not give them any advantage they do not already possess."

"Enough! If you will not extinguish your suns then we shall do it for you!" The voices shouted, as before they spoke with choppy sentences, this time however, the tone stayed the same. It was evident to SG-1 that the voices were angry, and before they could issue a response their flashlights suddenly cut out without as much as a warning flicker.

Jack lifted his light and shook it by his ear, "Damn," he said, his voice betraying no emotion.

Moments after the curse left Jack's lips he was knocked to the ground by something bowling full force into his midriff.  Around him he could hear the scuffles of his team as they tried to fight off the invisible attack. From somewhere to his left he heard Daniel's familiar yelp of pain. He quickly climbed to his feet only to have Carter bump into him from behind knocking him off balance, though this time he was able to remain standing.

"Sorry, sir," she whispered quietly as she gave her attacker a good blow to what she hoped was his jaw. Then the fight was over.

As quickly and without warning as they had turned off, the flashlights shot back to life. Three of them lay on the damp grass, deserted by their owners during the skirmish.  The fourth, along with Daniel Jackson, was no where in sight.


	4. The Annoying Little Alien

A/N: After writing the first few chapters of this fic I realized I should probably have something happen at the base as well so I started from where SG-1 left. Just so you know that there are no funky time things going on.

Anyways, thanks again for all the reviews, keep them coming please!

* * *

General Hammond watched as the last member of SG-1 disappeared through the 'gate and the wormhole disengage before he left the control room for the comfort of his office. No off-world teams were due back for another 6 hours and SG-13 wasn't going to leave for P3X 461 until tomorrow, he decided it was the perfect time to do some paperwork.

When he entered his office he saw the amount of papers that had been building up on his desk since the encounter with the Brigands. He let out a sigh, something he usually reserved for Colonel O'Neill's stubbornness. Running a hand over his hair-free head the General was just settling down to write some reports when the klaxons blared.

"Unauthorized Off-World Activation!"

Abandoning the papers he was studying, General Hammond rushed out of his office and into the control room.

"There is no incoming traveler but we are receiving a transmission from the MALP on the Brigand home world," Sergeant Walters reported with out being asked.

"Put him on," Hammond ordered, and as soon as the words left his mouth he was staring at the ugliest face he had ever seen in the monitor above his head. He recognized Nacwald the moment he saw him. Nacwald was unforgettable from the wrinkles on his pointed, hook nose, to the thick tufts of hair sticking out from all over his scalp and face.

"Your team late." The nasty little head said with all the scorn it could muster.

"Yes," Hammond replied with practiced patience, "SG-1 may have been a few minutes late in arriving."

"Few minutes?" spat the revolting alien. "10 minutes not few."

"Does it matter? They are there now so you can go on with the meeting."

"What kind game this?"

"I beg your pardon?" General Hammond looked down at the chevron guy who just shrugged. Then Nacwald spoke again, returning Hammond's attention back to the monitor.

"SG-1 not here."

Hammond stood stunned. "Colonel O'Neill's team left five minutes ago. They must have gotten there by now."

"SG-1 not here. You have them."

"I can assure you sir that SG-1 left this facility through that Stargate headed for your planet five minutes ago."

"I come there, see meself." The little alien wasn't asking for permission, he was already headed for the open wormhole before Hammond could speak again.

"What should I do sir?" Sergeant Walters asked.

"Open the iris." Hammond didn't want Nacwald on this side of the 'gate, but he didn't have a choice. The Brigands were not likely to continue trade with Earth if one of their top diplomats was killed by Earth's security defenses. "And find out where the hell SG-1 has gotten to." With that order he made his way to the embarkation room to await the arrival of Nacwald.

Hammond was followed to the bottom of the ramp by a small security team who decided that Nacwald might just attack the General if he was not satisfied by the answer that the General did not indeed know where SG-1 was.

Moments after the iris opened a stout alien strutted through the event horizon and down the ramp. Nacwald wore robes of an iridescent puce, that were a foot too long for his two foot three inch frame and he kept tripping over them as he walked. Nevertheless he had an air about him as if he had just been knighted by the Queen of England. In his left hand he carried a small cane, not that he needed one to aid his walking, he carried it for the sole purpose of using it to hit people he didn't like.

Another remarkable feature was the stench that was emanating from him, as if he had been anointed by 100 skunks at the same time. Needless to say, the smell had reached the little group of people at the bottom of the ramp before the Brigand was ten feet from them.

When he was in front of one of the security team members he raised one hand high above his hand in the customary Brigand meeting style. "You be General Hammond." The man he addressed had a shock of hair that looked like it had been overdue for a haircut since last year.

The real General stepped in, "I am General Hammond Welcome to Earth Mr. Nacwald." But as soon as he got within a foot of the alien he took a few hurried steps back. Now he realized why Colonel O'Neill had been so adamant that they would need nose plugs if they were going to visit the Brigands again.

"Yaa-Poo!" Nacwald responded irritably, "You not General Hammond, you have not enough hair." And he gave the General a small prod with his cane.

A few of the people in the gate room had to suppress their amusement at this statement, one failed, letting out a short snicker before hastily turning it into a cough. It was a known fact that the Brigand people chose their leaders by whoever had the most hair… and who had the worst stench.

Hammond unconsciously rubbed his bald head. "No, I suppose I don't have much, do I?" he managed to say, all too aware of the small smiles that were creeping up on his officers' faces even as they unobtrusively sneaked their hands up to rub their noses. "Why don't we go to the briefing room?" He offered at last.

"I want see base, search SG-1 meself." On the last word he pushed a grubby little finger into his chest.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, we have regulations that prohibit-"

"Yaa-Poo!" the alien shouted again. "Our regulations say leaders have much hair. You follow not ours, I follow not yours."

"I don't think this is quite the same thing." General Hammond said just as he took an ill-advised deep breath and he started to choke on Nacwald's stench.

Nacwald paid little attention to this and said, "I search base meself, or deal off." Then Nacwald with surprising speed and accuracy took his cane and smacked it into Hammond's right knee.

The 'pop' that followed was heard all the way in the control room and everyone in the immediate vicinity winced for their commanding officer. Hammond didn't move a muscle.

Right then and there, General Hammond may have ordered that the Stargate be re-dialed to the Brigand home world so that he could bodily throw the little alien through it himself. However, as he was under such strong pressure by the government to get something of use out of the Brigand-Earth treaty he retained that thought and tucked it away in the dark corners of his mind.

Nothing happened for a few seconds, all the airmen were too shocked by the sight of anyone assaulting the General to do anything.

At last a few airmen rushed up to seize the irate little alien, but General Hammond held up a hand. He motioned to Siler to follow him out of hearing distance of the others in the room. The Sergeant came eagerly; glad to get out of smelling distance of the alien.

"I want you and Jones to take Mr. Nacwald around the base, but only this floor. He doesn't know there are others. Keep him out of the most secure places but let him search for SG-1 any way he wants. When you're done bring him to the briefing room, understood?"

"Yes sir." Siler replied, not at all pleased that he had been given the honor of escorting the smelly garbage bag around.

Hammond and Siler walked back over to the Brigand. The General made a show of great respect as he introduced Nacwald to Siler and Jones. And he told him, "Now, you are free to search the base as you see fit, but these gentlemen will be accompanying you."

The little alien nodded vigorously when he heard this and turned to the two Sergeants, "We now go."

Jones sent Siler a look that clearly said, "Here we go." And the men walked out of the 'gate room with Nacwald hitting their ankles with his cane saying they weren't moving fast enough.

* * *

A/N: I did my best to make Nacwald a very unpleasant character and to have him come off as a person that no one would want to be around. He's used to getting his way and can become difficult when it's not given to him, and his only talent is to annoy other people. I think of him as Yoda's evil twin without the pointy ears and green skin. If I failed in this I want to know, and if you have any suggestions to make Nacwald worse or ideas for things he could do to annoy General Hammond I am all ears. 


	5. Missing Archeologist

A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I updated, but was on vacation in the Hamptons and there was no way I could get something online.

I was asked what 'protecting your six' was. It's actually a military term meaning they are going to watch the back of the unit. A 'six' as they call it is sort of a slang term for tail.

Anyway, I hope that this chapter and the rest will be worth the wait. So here goes it.

* * *

_As quickly and without warning as they had turned off, the flashlights shot back to life. Three of them lay on the damp grass, deserted by their owners during the skirmish. The fourth, along with Daniel Jackson, was no where in sight._

* * *

"Ow, get off!" Daniel's voice echoed around him even as it was drowned out by the excited whispers that were still being issued from the aliens. One of the beings had tied a thin rope around his wrists and ankles and was now trying to see if one could be wrapped around his right ear. As he wriggled he was met with a sharp blow to the stomach causing him to keel over and drop to the ground, only to be pulled up again by firm hands. 

About five minutes had passed since he had been pulled away from his comrades and taken into the desolate forest. The archeologist guessed that there were about ten aliens with him, though he was still not sure. His P-90 and sidearm had been taken from him and he could tell that the aliens meant to post a sentinel to deal with his team if they were following. Oddly enough, they had left his flashlight alone. Daniel supposed they weren't worried about it, undoubtedly because they could control it as they wished. He had though about using it, but thought that might draw their attention to it and it would be taken away, and he would need it if he was ever able to escape.

After regaining his footing, Daniel was forced onward. Though he was being led by the rope, he still managed to stub his toes on every rock and tree root and his eyes had started to ache from straining so hard to see in the darkness. Without the aid of a light he couldn't even see an inch in front of him, let alone a foot.

Though he had not had much success in communicating, it was obvious that the aliens were in a rush. He knew they wanted to get away from the rest of SG-1, but there was some other reason too, something far more important.

* * *

"Um, where's Daniel?" Jack asked as he watched Carter scan the surrounding area with her flashlight. He was half expecting the archeologist to pop out from the shadows and shout, "Miss me?" But there was no sign of the fourth team member anywhere. 

"He does not appear to be in the vicinity O'Neill."

"Thanks T." Jack shot at the Jaffa, sarcasm dripping in his voice. If he had seemed irritated at all, it wasn't because of Teal'c's obvious comment, but because of the fact that he had lost one of his team.

"What's the plan sir?" Carter asked as she walked over to her CO.

"We'll go after him."

"Yes sir." Sam hadn't really expected a different answer, no one gets left behind.

After retrieving the things they would need from the tents the three soldiers set out after a faint trail of tracks Teal'c had found leading in the northerly direction away from the 'gate.

Few words were passed between them as they trudged through the thick undergrowth of a forest that had come upon them. Each was caught up in their own thoughts.

Jack was wondering how the aliens could have taken control of their flashlights like that, and if they could do that why did they bother asking them to turn them off in the first place. Was it possible that Daniel had been right about turning off the lights? Maybe if they had done that then the aliens would have held true to their word about not wanting to harm them. Dammit! Why didn't he listen to Daniel more? And why had they taken only Daniel anyway, instead of all of SG-1 as they obviously could have done it quite easily.

A few paces in front of him Sam was staring up into the blackened sky, as much as she was concerned about the archeologist, she couldn't help her scientific mind from wondering why they hadn't seen a sunrise. It didn't make much sense, there were plenty of plants and plants needed sunlight. So where was the sun?

Sam was brought out of her musings by a faint curse from the Colonel. "You okay?" she asked him over her shoulder.

Jack who had just tripped over a tree root and stubbed his big toe replied, "Peachy, I just hate trees. Remind me to tell General Hammond to add night vision goggles to the necessities list of every SG team."

What happened next barely spanned the blink of an eye, there was the sound of a bullet being fired and Jack watched in shock as Sam crumpled to the ground in a heap in front of him.

Instinctively, O'Neill dropped to the dirt beside her and brandished his gun in the direction the bullet had come from, but Teal'c was faster. Taking only a split second to aim, he had let off a shot from his staff weapon and was rewarded with a figure, presumably armed with Daniel's P-90, dropping out of a tree somewhere to the left.

"Nice shot." Jack said amazement evident in his voice but it was sorely drowned out by the concern he had for Carter. "It's my turn to ask, are you okay?"

Sam propped herself up on one arm and said, "Nothing a larval Goa'uld couldn't heal."

"Sorry Carter, but last time I checked you didn't have one of those."

"No sir," she replied grimly.

Jack turned his attention back to the Jaffa, "You think there are any more of them out there?"

"I do not believe so, O'Neill. How is Major Carter?"

Jack looked back at his 2IC, who he was still crouching beside, "Took a nasty hit to the leg, but I think she'll live to bring down another system lord." He turned back to her, "I'm going to do my best to wrap this up and then I'm going to have Teal'c help you back to camp and I'll-"

"No sir, I can make it back on my own, you'll need all the help you can get to bring Daniel back. Besides when I get back to the 'gate I can try to figure out what's wrong with it and hopefully find someway to get us home."

"You sure Carter?" Jack wasn't going to argue with her, he knew he'd never be able to free Daniel by himself, and he wasn't sure that even with Teal'c he would be able to, but he had to try.

"Yes sir."

"Okay." Jack opened up his pack and found the emergency first aid kit. He took out some bandages and salve and began to clean and dress Carter's wound. Upon closer inspection of the hole he noticed that the bullet had just missed the femur and he knew she had been lucky in that regard. It was likely that the alien had never seen a gun before and was not skilled at using one, so it was surprising that he had even managed to hit one of the team anyway. When Jack was done he asked her if she could stand.

"Yes sir," she replied with determination.

She threw an arm around her CO's shoulders and he helped her to regain her footing. Sam had to bite her lip to keep from crying out in pain when she put weight on her injured limb, but she stood resolutely nonetheless.

"O'Neill." Teal'c called to Jack from where he was standing over the dead alien, he had taken possession of the weapon that was suppose to be with Daniel Jackson.

"What is it T?" Jack asked as he shifted slightly under Carter's weight.

"I have found something."

Slowly and painfully, Jack and Sam made their way over to Teal'c who was standing beside the dead alien. When they finally made it there Sam looked down at the corpse. It looked a lot like a human except that its skin looked more rubbery and the head was bald and squarish.

"Yeah?" Jack asked.

Without a word, Teal'c shone his flashlight onto the flesh of the alien. They all watched with a mixture of curiosity and disgust as the skin of the creature started to sizzle and began to flake off and in seconds they were staring at a hole the size of a fist burnt into the chest of the being.

"Well, that's just nasty."

"But it does give us an advantage," Carter started.

"Oh and how's that? If any of them die we can maim their bodies?"

Sam ignored O'Neill's sarcastic comment and continued, "That must be why they live on this planet, there's no sun or at least no sun light for long amounts of time, and if and when the sun comes out they probably retreat to caves or somewhere underground. They must have been telling the truth when they said the light hurt them. That," she gestured with a disgusted look at the alien body, "must happen."

"Not even a bullet can slow you down, can it Carter?" Jack said.

Sam couldn't help but grin at his remark, but it turned it into a wince when a sudden twinge shot through her leg.

Jack noticed and wrapped his arm more securely around Carter's waist inviting her to lean on him and then he told Teal'c, "Carter's going to go back to the 'gate while you and I go find Daniel."

Teal'c inclined his head in a gesture of understanding; he thought it strange that O'Neill would let Major Carter go back on her own but did not remark on it, trusting O'Neill to make the right decision.

"Okay Teal'c, let's go." Jack cued the Jaffa to go on ahead a bit so he could talk to Carter. He carefully slid his arm from around her waist so that she was standing on her own. He watched as she wobbled a bit and asked one more time, "You sure about this Carter?"

Sam gave him a grim smile and patted her P-90, "I'll be fine."

Jack seemed a bit more assured by this and slipped back into his customary joking manner. "Alright then, we'll see you in a flash." He said as he playfully waved his flashlight around.

He had already turned around when Sam spoke again.

"It's not your fault sir."

Instantly, Jack knew she was talking about Daniel and not the bullet in her leg and without so much as turning around he replied, "I know Carter."

* * *

A/N: Okay, I know it's not _that_ realistic for Sam to walk back to the Stargate with a bullet in her leg even if they're not that far from the 'gate, but you have to go with me on this one. I considered her getting shot in the arm but then she wouldn't have to go back to the Stargate and she needs to for a certain reason. Hope you can accept that.

Again, thanks for all the reviews and the suggestions for Nacwald, I'll be sure to put some in the next chapter. And any more ideas are still welcomed.


	6. Investigation Time

Nacwald strode with the pride of a tiger down the corridor at the SGC, flanked by two very unenthusiastic sergeants. The one on the left, Jones, looked like he may puke at any moment from the smell that was assailing his nostrils,yet he was too worried about offending the Brigand to do anything about it. Siler, on the other hand, had pulled his shirt up over his nose, which still didn't really help in blocking out the alien's offensive odor.

"Come, come!" Nacwald demanded, quite oblivious to the discomfort of his escorts. And he smacked Jones in the shin once, just to emphasize the point.

So far the trio had inspected two storage rooms and an armory, much to Siler's discomfort. He wasn't fond of watching an alien unfamiliar with Earth weapons stare down the barrel of a P-90. As much as he would have liked to be rid of Nacwald, he didn't think General Hammond would be happy if a foreign diplomat shot him himself between the eyes while Siler could have stopped it.

Strangely enough, the 'search' party had not come across any base personnel. Jones was convinced that any airman roaming the halls would have run away screaming it they came within 500 feet of the Brigand.

"Go in there I do!" Nacwald proclaimed as he turned into the closest door, which turned out to be a supply closet, and proceeded to look around. The two airmen followed slowly, reluctant to be in an even smaller space with the smelly Brigand.

Finding a box that was sitting on a lower shelf Nacwald started going through the contents, strewing them about the room in the process. The first thing he pulled out was a pen light and promptly shone it into his eyes. After tossing it straight at Jones's head, he started reaching for a box a bit higher up. Though it was only on the middle shelf it was still hopelessly above the little alien's head.

"Get box, get box! Tall man," Nacwald whined at Siler. Siler quickly complied, not eager to be hit by the cane again, he already had sore ankles. But just as he lifted the box and had it above the Brigand's head, it became much lighter, and he soon found out why.

With a slight ripping noise and a small squeak from a little alien, a stack of paper fell out from the torn bottom of the box and hit Nacwald square on the head.

Nacwald, having been hit with something at least half his own weight, fell to the floor in a very undignified fashion. Jones couldn't help but laugh as he saw the Brigand get drowned in a flurry of papers, but his merriment ended when he realized that the alien was not getting to his feet, or whining about the injury.

"Siler, I think you broke him."

Siler gave Jones a look which could only be translated into 'Oh crap'. "I didn't mean to, the bottom of the box fell out and…. What are going to do?"

"You think we should take him to the infirmary?"

"Can I tell General Hammond, you hit him with a twenty pound stack of paper?"

"Maybe he'll wake up and not remember what happened."

"Oh that would be better, give a foreign dignitary amnesia while he's inspecting a supply closet."

"You're the one who dropped a box on him!" Jones said irritated, if he hadn't hada headache from the odor before, he had one now.

"Well what are we going to do?" Siler asked again.

Jones looked at him, "Maybe General Hammond will believe he walked into a door."

Siler groaned and walked back into the hall with Jones at his heels. "I really hate to do this," Siler said picking up the nearest phone and saying they had a medical emergency on level 28.

Moments later a squad of doctors, pushing a gurney, was hurrying down the hall, Dr. Fraiser in the lead. "What happened…" she began but then a look of disgust came across her face and she asked, "What is that god awful smell?"

"That is your patient ma'am." Jones told her with a tinge of sympathy in his voice.

Spying into the closet and seeing the downed alien being attended to by her staff she asked the men, "What happened here?"

"He um… sustained a head injury." Siler told her truthfully.

"How exactly?" the doctor inquired making Siler shift uncomfortably.

"A box accidentally fell on him." Jones offered.

"Alright, " Janet said and she turned back to her team issuing orders as they moved the Brigand onto the gurney and took off for the infirmary.

2 Hours Later

"I can't believe you got off so easily." Jones stated taking another bite of Jell-O. He and Siler were in the commissary trying to ignore the looks being sent their way by other base personnel. News of what had happened to the foreign dignitary had spread quickly.

"Me either, fortunately Nacwald regainedconsciousness quickly anddidn't seem to want to press chargesagainst me. I thought I was in for it when I was sent to General Hammond's office but it turns out he just wanted to know if Nacwald had said anything about SG-1. Apparently the search isn't going so well. The Brigands aren't being helpful either, just blaming us for not sending them through the gate."

"Do you think the Brigands actually have SG-1?"

"It's possible, but it just doesn't make sense. What would they get by capturing SG-1 and not telling us they have them?"

"Crap!" Siler exclaimed. He shook his head not sure of what he was seeing until the smell reached his nose.

Jones, also sensing the odor,turned to see Nacwald helping himself to a tray of food probably given to him by someone on base considering there was no way he could have reached the buffet by himself. The alien's eating habits were, if possible, worse than his manners and he was pushing food into his mouth with his hands. And it didn't look like a lot of the food actually made it into his mouth.

"Ugh, I've lost my appetite." Jones said pushing away his tray. "Do you think the doc actually let him out of the infirmary?"

"Are you kidding? She probably threw him out after he regained consciousness. Let's go, the smell is unbearable." Siler said, observing all of the other officers in the room heading for the door.

Siler and Jones made it out of the commissary without the alien noticing them and were nearly to on base quarters when they ran into Dr. Fraiser. By the way she was walking Siler knew what was up and before she could ask said, "He was last smelled in the commissary ma'am."

"Thank you Sergeant," she replied before marching off again.

Jones watched her go remarking nonchalantly, "She looks like she's having a bad day."


End file.
